Net attachment for crib beds



Aug. 26, 1952 N. c. LE ROY i NET ATTACHMENT FOR CRIB BEDS Filed April l 1950 Fi G. 4.

NoRMAN C. LEROY,

IN V EN TOR.

FcLE;

A Tmp/ver.

Patented Aug. 26, 1952 UNl'IEDsrArss TENT OFFICE 2,607,931 NET ATTACHMENT Foa CRIB BEDS Norman C. Le Roy, Miami, Fla.

Application April 1, 195o, serial No. 153,462

' (o1. s-rioo) Y 3 Claims.

This invention relates to an attachment for crib beds and has particular reference to a shield or net device for the reception of bottles, toys or other objects frequently thrown or dropped from the crib by a child.

It is an object of .the present invention to provide a net device that is supported upon the side of the crib in a manner that will properly position the net to receive articles thrown from the' crib, thus avoiding breakage and, where' the articles are usually non-breakable, will `collect them in the net for easy recovery.

While the device of the present invention is primarily intended for attachment to the shiftable drop side of the conventional crib bed, it will be apparent, that where the bed is located in a manner with both sides exposed, that the device will be mounted upon the opposite sides to aiord the utmost in protection for bottles or the like that either fall, roll or are thrown from the crib, while, the particular mounting structure readily adapts the device to either side without modications. The mounting of the structure with its supported net permits of freedom of movement for the drop side and upon contact by an attendant, will readily move to parallel engagement with the drop side, thus' offering no projection that might hinder the proper access to the interior of the crib.

Another object of the invention resides in the simplified mechanical structure that facilitates the mounting of the device, provides a generally rectangular frame for thel support of a flexible net device that normally falls away from the side of the crib to an angular position that provides an extended receptacle calculated to catch any article thrown by achild of the age that normally sleeps or plays in a crib, has few and Yinexpensive parts, is strong, durable and highly convenient and eicient in use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention andfeatures of novelty of construction will be readily apparent during the course of the following description, reference'being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote like parts throughout.

In the drawings: y

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device constructed in accordance with the invention prior to its attachment to the bed,

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section through the device in mounted position, with a portion of the bed being illustrated,

` Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the device mounted upon the bed, with the net removed,

Figure lluis a perspective view of a supporting member for fixed attachment to the bed, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a corner connection for net supporting rods.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the numeral 5 Vdesignates a crib bed, having corner posts 6, head and foot panels v'I, a mattress il and a mattress supporting spring 9. The crib is provided with the usual and well known drop side Ill, vertically shiftable upon guide bars Il. The side ID includes upper and lower parallel rails I2 and I3, connected by parallel side rails Ill. The crib as described, is of conventional construction.

The device of the present invention consists of U-shape'd members I5, adapted to be engaged over the lower rail I3, adjacent the ends thereof. The members I5 are provided with upstanding hinge elements I6, welded or otherwise rigidly attached to the tops of the members I 5'. The members I6 are apertured for the reception of pivot pins, to be' described.

Pivotally supported upon the hinge elements I6, are rods I1. the elements I6 by a pin I8. The rod I'I at its upper end is provided with a'. Vtubular telescopic sleeve I9, provided at its upper end with flaring and offset aperture'd ears 2l), adapted t be con"- nected to the upper 'rail -I2 `by screws or like fastening means 2I. The member I5, rod I'I and sleeve I9, serve as the means for fixedly positioning the device upon' the drop side of the crib and the sleeve I9 serves a's a means for extending the length of the rods I'I where the height of the side may vary in beds of different make. After the sleeve has been adjusted to proper height, with the members I5 firmly en-I gaging the lower rail I3 in' straddled relation, a screw or other fastening means 22 is employed to X the sleeve with respect to the rod I1, at which time the fastening screws'v 2| serve to rigidly attach the ears 20 to the rail I2. The structure so far described is arranged wholly within the frame of the drop side between the side rails IG and the usual panels or spindles of the side.

Hingedly connected to the members I6, by the pins I8, are rods 23, adapted to be shifted toward and from the rods I1. The rods 23 are identical in length and are parallel and are connected at their upper or free ends with a horizontal rod 24, through the medium of elbows 25, tubular in cross section and' of a size to snugly engage over the ends of the rods 23 and 24, for forming a substantially U-shaped frame that is adapted to bodily shift toward the side The rods are connected with` of the crib when engaged by the body of the operator or attendant. The elbows after assembly upon the rods 23 and 24, are iixed against displacement by brads or screws 26. Thus a rigid frame is provided that is pivotally supported upon the elements I6.

Positioned upon the frame and the rods I1 is a exible open mesh net 21, woven to provide hems 28 at its ends, a hem 29 along the major portion of its upper longitudinal edge and a hem 30 along the major portion of its lower longitudinal edge. The hems 28, see Figures 1 and 2, engage over the rods I1. The hem 29 engages over the rod 24, while the hem 30 supports a rod 3|, used to attach the lower freeedge ,of the net to the bed. The net extends from one rod I1 to the opposite parallel rod I1, 'being wrapped around the rods 23 and supported against sagging or slipping upon the rods I1 by the engagement of the hem 29 over the rod 24. .The net may be of any suitable material and of a mesh calculated to prevent the passage of articles therethrough, yet permits of a free circulation of air to the crib. The rod 3I is provided with fastening cords 32 adjacent each of its free ends and these cords at their free ends are provided with snap hooks 33 for detachable engagement withthe spring 9 of the bed, through the medium of which the rod 3i and the lower edge of the net are positioned against the side of the drop side in a manner to prevent articles passing therebetween. It is intended that the device shall be assembled and sold in its complete assembly as shown in Figure 1.

In the use of the device, the assembly of Figure 1 is positioned upon the drop side of the crib, with the U-shaped members engaging over the lower rail I3. The sleeves I9 are then adjusted to the proper height upon the rods I1 and the ears 20 are then attached to the upper rail I2 by the screws 2|. The operator' then moves the rod 3I inwardly against the side of the drop side and the cords 32 extended beneath the mattress 8 and connected to the spring 9 by the snap hooks 33. Upon release, the frame and its attached net fall outwardly by gravity to form an extended receptacle beyond the side of the bed. The angularity of the frame and its net is such as will catch any article the child may throw over the top or shove between the side panels. The operator when desiring to render aid or attention to the occupant of the crib, merely presses against the rod 24 with the body, causing the frame to swing inwardly to lie against the side of the crib, thus offering no projections that might interfere with the proper handling of the crib occupant. It is calculated that the members I5, I9 and 25 shall be formed of suitable metal, with the various rods I1, 23 and '24 to be formed of wood, although it will be readily apparent, that the rods I1 may be formed of metal and the frame, including the rods I1 and 24 shall be formed in a single one piece structure. The employment of the combination wood and metal is primarily for purposes of economy. The attachment oifers no obstacle to the raising and lowering of drop side since, even though the rod 3l is tied to the spring 9, the drop side may be lowered, since the rod 3l will merely slide over the face of the side and the end hems of the net 21 will slide upward on the rods I1.

The mounting of the rods I1 may be further modiiied by substituting a U-shaped member for the sleeve I9, similar to the members I5,` which members straddle the upper rail I2 in a manner 4 similar to the members I5, thus providing a mounting requiring no screw fastenings.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a very novel receptacle net has been provided for the quick and easy attachment to the open sides of a crib bed. The structure is simple, strong, durable, cheap to manufacture and highly eicient in use. The device results in a considerable saving in broken nursing bottlesnor the. like that either fall or are thrown from the crib and the angularity of the net is believed toY be well within the range of any articles that might be thrown by children of the age that usually sleep or play in a crib. The articles that are caught and trapped in the net, roll downwardly to the bottom and lie against the side of the crib. The open mesh net further provides adequate circulation of air therethrough.

It is to be understood, that the invention is not limited to the precise form shown, but that it includes within its purview, whatever changes fairly come within either 'the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A catch net devicev for a crib which has a drop side provided with openings therein, said Y catch net comprising a net, a plurality of mounting means adapted to be mounted on the lower part of said drop side, a plurality of mounting bars, each of which is secured at one end to one of said mounting means, each of said mounting bars having an adjustable extension adjacent the other end thereof, each of said adjustable extensions adapted tobe secured to the upper part of said drop side, a U-shaped frame pivotally secured to at least two of said mounting means, the net of said catch net device being secured atone end to one of said mounting bars and at the other end to another of said mounting bars, said net also being secured intermediate its ends toY said U-shaped frame, a rod carried by the lower part of said net, and attaching means secured to said rod and adapted to be attached t0 said crib whereby the lower part of said net may be brought into releasable engagement with the lower part of said drop side.

2. The device as in claim 1, wherein the mounting means are in the form of inverted U-shaped saddles that engage over the lower part of the said drop side, the said adjustable extension for each mounting bar consisting of a sleeve slidable upon the upper portion of each mounting bar, each of the sleeves provided with apertured ears to be secured to the upper part of the drop side, each of the U-shaped saddles upon their upper portions being provided with fixed means for the pivotal support of the said U-shaped frame.

3. A catch net for a crib which has a drop side provided with openings therein, the drop side having upper and lower rails and parallel end rails, said catch net device comprising a net, mounting means comprising inverted U-shaped saddles for engagement over the lower rail of the drop side, one saddle engaging the lower rail adjacent one end rail and another saddle engaging the lower rail adjacent the other end rail, the upper part of each saddle provided with a xed pivotal support, a iixed pivot pin carried by each support and extending upon opposite sides thereof, a mounting bar adjacent each end of the drop side, one mounting bar having pivotal connection with a pin extension of one support, the other of said mouting bars having pivotal connection with a pin extension of the other support, an adjustable tubular extension for the upper end of each bar that comprises each a slidable sleeve, each of the sleeves provided at itheir upper ends with apertured attaching ears for connection to the upper rail of the drop side, a U-shaped frame having terminal ends, one terminal end pivotally supported on a pin extension of one pivotal support, the other terminal end pivotally supported on a pin extension of the other pivotal support, the frame being swingable toward and from the drop side, the net of said net device provided with end hems and upper and lower hems, one end hem engaging over one mounting bar and the other end hem engaging over the other mounting bar, the

said upper hem engaging over the U-shapedV frame to support the net intermediate its ends, a 15 1,263,212

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 633,353 Bacon Sept. 19, 1899 COX Apr. 16, 1918 

